What Are the Different Types of Software?
Software is a collection of instructions that tell a computer how to work This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
The different types of software including:
- Application Software
- System Software
- Firmware
- Programming Software
- Driver Software
- Freeware
- Shareware
- Open-Source Software
- Closed Source Software
- Utility Software
Application Software
Application software is a software program or group of programs designed for end-users. There are many types of application software.
Word Processing Software: Google Docs, Microsoft Word, WordPad and Notepad
Database Software: MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access, Oracle, IBM DB2 and FoxPro
Spreadsheet Software: Google Sheets, Apple Numbers and Microsoft Excel
Multimedia Software: Media Player, Win amp, QuickTime and VLC Media Player
Presentation Software: Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, Keynotes, Prezzy
Enterprise Software: Customer relationship management (CRM) software (HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamic 365)), project management tools (Jira, Monday), marketing automation tools (Marketo, HubSpot), enterprise resource planning (ERP) software (SAGE, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics), treasury management system (TMS) software (SAP S/4HANA Finance, Oracle Treasury), business intelligence (BI) software (SAP Business Intelligence, MicroStrategy, Microsoft Power BI)
Information Worker Software: Documentation tools, resource management tools
Communication Software: Zoom, Google Meet, Skype
Educational Software: Dictionaries – Encarta, Britannica; Mathematical: MATLAB; Others: Google Earth, NASA World Wind
Simulation Software: Flight and scientific simulators
Content Access Software: Accessing content through media players, web browsers
Application Suites: Apache OpenOffice, Microsoft Office365, Apple’s iWork, LibreOffice, G-Suite, Oracle E-Business Suite
Software for Engineering and Product Development: IDE or Integrated Development Environments
Email Software: Microsoft Outlook, Gmail, Apple Mail
System Software
System software provides a platform for other software and includes the programs managing the computer itself, such as the computer’s operating system, file management utilities and disk operating system (or DOS).
Examples of System Software
System software runs things in the background and operating systems are an example of system software.
- Microsoft Windows
- MacOS (for Apple devices)
- GNU/Linux
- Apple’s iOS
- Google’s Android
- Windows Phone OS
Programming Software
Programming software, also known as a programming tool or software development tool, is a program that assists software developers or programmers with creating, debugging and maintaining other programs and applications. Programming software is considered to be a subset of system software, although there is debate regarding this.
Examples of Programming Software
It’s possible to write computer languages like Java or PHP in plain-text editor apps, but more robust, industry-standard applications are available. Compilers, assemblers, debuggers, interpreters etc. are examples of programming software. Integrated development environments (IDEs) are combinations of all these software.
Most software developers use programming software apps like
- GitHub
- GitLab
- Android Studio
- Visual Studio Code
- Eclipse
- XCode
- Notepad++
- Atom
Examples of Driver Software
All hardware devices require drivers. For example:
- Graphic cards
- Network cards
- Mouse and keyboard
Freeware
Freeware software is available without any cost. Any user can download it from the internet and use it without paying any fee. However, freeware does not provide any liberty for modifying the software or charging a fee for its distribution. Examples are:
- Adobe Reader
- Audacity
- ImgBurn
- Recuva
- Skype
- Team Viewer
- Yahoo Messenger
- Shareware
It is a software that is freely distributed to users on a trial basis. It usually comes with a time limit and when the time limit expires, the user is asked to pay for the continued services.
- Adobe Acrobat
- Getright
- PHP Debugger
- Winzip
Open-source
These kinds of software are available to users with the source code which means that a user can freely distribute and modify the software and add additional features to the software. Open-Source software can either be free or chargeable. Some examples of open-source software are:
- Apache Web Server
- GNU Compiler Collection
- Moodle
- Mozilla Firefox
- Thunderbird
